There are three types of field trips available this year in Hawaii – traditional Saturday premeeting field trips, 2-night field trips to surrounding islands, and Tuesday afternoon field trips. Preregistration is required for all field trips.
Arranged through Pacific Islands Institute, Honolulu, Hawaii.
NOTE: No scientific programming is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon so that you are free to participate in one of these field trip options.
By registering for these field trips, you agree to the terms and conditions associated with these field trips.
Field frip fees include:
Responsibility APS and IAPPS
APS and IAPPS are offering these field trips as arranged through Pacific Islands Institute. By participating in these field trips, those individuals registered agree that APS and IAPPS are not responsible or liable and cannot accept and shall not be or become liable for loss, injury, or damage to person or property caused by the action or inaction of the suppliers of services or their employees or agents, whether wrongful, negligent or arbitrary, in connection with any accommodation, transportation or other service, or resulting directly or indirectly from acts of God, danger incident to the sea, fire, breakdown of machinery or equipment, acts of government or other authorities, wars whether declared or not, hostilities, civil disturbances, strikes, riots, thefts, pilferage, epidemics, acts of terrorism, quarantines, medical or customs regulations, defaults, delays, or cancellations or changes in itinerary or schedules, or from any causes. The participating individuals therefore releases APS and IAPPS (including all of their personnel, agents, affiliates, staff and directors) from any and all liabilities to the individual with respect to injury, sickness, disease, death, loss or damage. This release applies to any and all liabilities to APS and IAPPS, its staff, agents, affiliates and officers, whether arising from ordinary negligence or otherwise, and whether involving fees and expenses of any kind. This release is to be interpreted and enforced under the laws of the State of Minnesota.
Field trips are listed in chronological order.
Tuesday, August 912:30 – 6:30 p.m.
This tour starts with a drive across the mountains to the town of Kailua to explore the Kailua ahupuaa, a traditional land division stretching from mountain to sea and the Kawainui Marsh. This tour will focus on Hawaiian geological, archaeological, historic and ecological resources of Kawainui Marsh, Hawaii's largest wetland area. Dedicated volunteers have worked tirelessly to remove invasive plants, open up channels in the marsh's islets to restore native plants and wetland birds. Learn about many facets of the region, from bugs to birds, and history to legend.
Continue to our second site, Ulupo Heiau, a sacred temple build by the first people as an agricultural heiau in approximately 900 A.D. Thousands of tons of rocks form this heiau with walls up to 30 feet in height in some areas, is said to be the biggest and one of the oldest on the island of Oahu. Surrounding the heiau were acres of taro patches. Efforts at Ulupo focus on restoration of the plants that early Hawaiians brought with them when they sailed across the Pacific.
Caretaker and educator of Kawainui and his staff and volunteers will provide an inspiring look at how Hawaiian culture evolved in the embrace of native ecosystems, (both land and sea) and provide an insight of their efforts to restore the cultural and ecological balance of these special places.
Fee: $85.00 per person
Important Notes:
Schedule
Tuesday, August 912:00 – 6:30 p.m.
This tour takes you to Oahu's scenic north shore to one of Oahu’s last partially intact ahupuaa, a traditional Hawaiian land division that extends from the mountains to the ocean. Once a thriving community on Oahu's north shore, now a botanic and cultural garden, Waimea Valley's mission is to preserve and perpetuate the human, cultural and natural resources of the valley and to offer an authentic window into the culture, lifestyle and customs of the Hawaiian people.
The valley is home to a 150 acre arboretum boasting 5,000 documented species of tropical trees, plants and flowers, of which roughly 300 are endangered, and including 64 varieties of Hawaiian taro. Conservation efforts in the valley are numerous and are focused primarily on Hawaii's endangered dry-land plant species. When the Erythrina gall wasp was devastating the native wiliwili trees, it was in Waimea Valley that its African predator wasp was released to test its effectiveness in bio-control.
Experience a traditional Hawaiian welcoming protocol before an overview of the valley's ancient resource management where conversation will be held with Waimea's botanical team consisting of the Botanical Group Manager, Botanical Collections Specialist, Conservation Specialist and Horticultural Specialist. It will be followed by a one hour guided hike through different areas of the valley, past archeological sites and through a range of habitats stretching from the dry, salty sea shore to the cool, misty uplands. Specific areas in the valley have been designated for viewing include the sites of the a) Erythrina gall wasp, b) Coffee twig borer, c) Hibiscus erinose mite, d) Ohia rust, e) Coffee seed borer (not seen here), f) Banana bunchy-top virus, g) Pritchardia crown borer, and h) Taro leaf blight.
Fee: $89.00 per person
Tuesday, August 912:15 – 6:45 p.m.
Travel to Oahu's central plain and observe one of Hawaii's last major pineapple crops. Pineapple is still the king of Dole Plantation, but Hawaii’s other crops offer a rich cornucopia of the island’s agricultural heritage and a window into its diversified future. You will enjoy an expert led explanation as you wander through Dole Plantation’s eight different gardens, and get an up-close view of the plants that are the source of tropical delights from coffee to exotic fruit to the colorful cacao pods, used to make Waialua’s signature single-estate chocolate. Enjoy stories about life on the plantation and Hawaiian heritage. You'll learn which plants were sacred, how plants were cooked and how native Hawaiians used these plants for everything they needed, from medicine to canoes to chewing gum!
Continue on to one of the nearby farms and examine firsthand the diversified agriculture that is now being grown in the region. Time permitting; we will make a brief stop in historic Haleiwa town on the north shore.
Schedule 12:15 p.m. Depart Convention Center 5:30 p.m. Depart to Hilton Hawaiian Village and Double Tree HotelsApproximate return time is 6:45 p.m.
Tuesday, August 912:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Hike on an ancient trail used by Hawaiians centuries ago. Visitors on this journey will enjoy lush vegetation and witness breathtaking panoramic views of Kaneohe Bay. We will be visiting an ancient heiau (sacred temple) and chief's residence lying in a grove of giant mango trees planted long ago by the kahuna (priests) of the island to mark their consecrated grounds. Revel at the dancing waters of one of the waterfalls that originates from a small stream of water seeping from a rocky precipice. The waterfall is named Hiilaniwai, meaning "carrying heavenly waters". We will also be crossing a small stream. Along the way, our expert guide will point out the trailside flora.
NOTE: We have opened additional space to accommodate the popularity of this field trip. Due the this response, please note that the actual trail hiked may not be exactly as described here, although participants will enjoy a hike on a rainforest trail.
Fee: $99.00 per person
Tuesday, August 912:30 – 5:45 p.m.
The watershed walk will focus on a variety of topics to include the mauka (mountain) origins of streams, the makai (ocean) stream connections, water quality, historical and cultural significance of watersheds and current projects and groups active within the area.
Fishponds were originally created by the Alii (chiefs) as stocking ponds to raise fish and provide for easy access to fish during the winter months when deep sea fishing was dangerous. The Heeia fishpond is a unique natural resource that was constructed over 600 years ago. Paepae o Heeia is a non-profit organization dedicated to restoring and restocking this 88-acre ancient Hawaiian fishpond to its original state. You will examine the relationship of the pond, its brackish water conditions, and its connection to the Heeia Stream and Kaneohe Bay. You will enjoy an expert led tour by the Executive Director of the fishpond.
Participants will then have the opportunity to drive upcountry to the mountain source of the water to Hui Ku Maoli Ola (HKMO), a native plant nursery specializing in rare and endangered species. Discussion and tour will be led by founder Rick Barboza. The tour will continue mauka (to the mountains), to Papahana Kuaola for a tour of the large-scale, three year, riparian restoration project and will view natural fresh water springs and the ancient taro patches which are functioning and being restored.
Important Note:
Tuesday, August 91:00 – 4:30 p.m.
If you eat at fine dining establishments while in Hawaii , chances are you’ll see the term “Nalo Greens” on a menu. A pioneer with Hawaii’s regional cuisine movement, fresh produce is harvested and cut daily, supplying over 130 restaurants with up to 3,000 pounds of tasty greens each week.
Founded in 1953, Dean Okimoto's Nalo Farms has been a family farm for over half a century. Nestled on the eastern shore of Oahu at the foot of the majestic Koolau mountains in Waimanalo, the farm supplies fresh-cut, top-quality greens to Hawaii's top restaurants' chefs daily. Nalo Farms is the premier grower of salad greens; its signature crops include lettuce, herbs, micro-greens and sprouts such as their pea and corn sprouts which are often found accompanying Pacific Rim and Hawaii Regional Cuisine. The tropical climate allows for a year-round growing season, and also makes for more intense flavor – arugula is extra spicy and peppercress is as hot as wasabi. The plants grow in a volcanic muddy loam that’s chock full of minerals such as zinc and iron. Discussion by the General Manager includes plant disease and pest management.
Fee: $69.00 per person
Tuesday, August 91:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Bishop Museum, the State Museum of Natural and Cultural History, is dedicated to telling the story of Hawaii and its place in the Pacific. This tour will focus on the museum's Natural Sciences Collections, which consist of over 22.3 million specimens of plant and animal life, and derive from a century-long history of explorations throughout all the Hawaiian Islands and the Pacific. The biological collections of Bishop Museum rank among the top five in the country, are the largest in the world for Hawai‘i and many of the south Pacific islands including New Guinea, and are some of the most significant for other Pacific Rim areas such as the Philippines and Southeast Asia. Specimens from these collections have been the source of thousands of publications describing tens of thousands of species newly discovered to science.
Collection Managers from the botany, entomology and zoology collections will provide an overview of each collection. Includes a very limited amount of time to examine the botany collection and annotate plant families.
Fee: $65.00 per person
Schedule 1:00 p.m. Depart Convention Center 4:30 p.m. Depart to Hilton Hawaiian Village and DoubleTree HotelsApproximate return is 5:00 p.m.
Nestled deep in Manoa Valley, the Harold L. Lyon Arboretum is a leader in the fields of Conservation Biology, Ethnobotany and Horticulture.
Lyon Arboretum was established in 1918 by the Hawaiian Sugar Planters Association to demonstrate the value of watershed restoration, test tree species for reforestation and collect plants of economic value. Today, this the only University botanical garden located in a tropical rainforest in the United States. It currently consists of almost 200 acres at the top of the Manoa watershed with a set of small cottages and greenhouses used for research and community education about plants and the natural environments of Hawaii. Lyon Arboretum maintains a world renowned collection of more than 5,000 tropical plant species including one of the largest palm collections found in a botanical garden.
You will enjoy an expert botanist led walking tour through the arboretum, focusing on tropical plants, native Hawaiian plants, conservation biology, and Hawaiian ethno-botany. Today, the arboretum still continues to develop its extensive tropical plant collection including tropical palms, aroids, ti, taro, heliconia and ginger.
Schedule 1:00 p.m. Depart Convention Center 4:30 p.m. Depart to Hilton Village and DoubleTree HotelsApproximate return is 5:00 p.m.
Tuesday, August 91:00 – 5:15 p.m.
The Foster Botanical Gardens is a garden in the midst of busy downtown Honolulu and a refreshing change from the chaos of the city. As the oldest of the Honolulu Botanical Gardens, Foster Garden displays a mature and impressive collection of tropical plants. This 13.5 acre garden is a living museum of exotic plants and trees collected over a period of 150 years from around the world’s tropics. Collections include Old and New World Orchid species, palms, aroids, heliconia, ginger plants, an herb garden, spices, dyes, poisons, beverage plants and "primitive" plants from around the world. The garden’s specialty is the palm collection, orchid garden and exceptional trees, many of these trees planted back in the 1850’s.
You will also visit the nearby Liliuokalani Gardens, a relatively new garden once the property and favorite picnic spot of Hawaii's last reigning monarch, Queen Liliuokalani. This 7.5 acre developing garden is devoted to native Hawaiian plants.
You will enjoy an expert botanist-led walking tour through both gardens.
Fee: $75.00 per person
Schedule 1:00 p.m. Depart Convention Center 5:00 p.m. Depart to Hilton Hawaiian Village and DoubleTree HotelsApproximate return is 5:15 p.m.
NOTE: This Field Trip is organized by APS members and is not coordinated by the Pacific Islands Institute
Tuesday, August 91:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Organizers: Amanda Gevens, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, U.S.A.; Barry Pryor, University of Arizona, Tucson, AR, U.S.A.Section: Plant Pathology-Diseases of PlantsSponsoring Committees: Mycology; Forest PathologyFee: $45
Observe, collect, and identify fungi from natural ecosystems located on Oahu. In the afternoon, we will visit collecting sites. Upon conclusion of our field activities, we will go to lab spaces on the University of Hawaii campus to identify and share collections. George Wong and Janice Uchida are handling local arrangements. Tom Ranker, University of Hawaii botany chair has offered use of lab space and microscopes. To facilitate this schedule, Uchida has offered to provide the evening meal. Cost for the meal will be covered by the field trip fee. Participants will be subject to state and federal regulations for movement of any collected samples. Preregistration is required.